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Monday, March 11, 2013

Latest Current Affairs- March 2013

Current Affairs: March 2013 (1st Week)

Useful for all competitive Examinations……..

Services Clinched 67th Santosh Trophy Football Tournament

In the final of the 67th Santosh Trophy on 3 March 2013, Services won the soccer contest by defeating hosts Kerala 4-3 on penalties at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi.

The Man of the Match title was clinched by Services striker Lalian Mawia. The Services team bagged their third Santosh Trophy title.

About the Santosh Trophy

Santosh Trophy is the yearly Indian football tournament that is played among states and government institutions. This tournament was initiated in 1941. The Santosh Trophy is named after late Maharaja Sir Manmatha Nath Roy Chowdhary of Santosh.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez died at 58 due to Cancer

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez died on 5 March 2013 at a military hospital in Caracas at the age of 58 due to Cancer. He died after battling from cancer for two years during which he underwent several surgeries and chemotherapy in Cuba.

With his death his 14 year rule of Venezuela came to an end and bringing a challenge of electing a new President for the country within 30 days as per Constitution of Venezuela. Till then the Presidency will be assumed by the Vice-President of the country, Nicolas Maduro. The Foreign Minister of Venezuela Elias Jose Jaua Milano announced seven days mourning for the country.
Hugo Chavez

• Hugo Chavez was the President of Venezuela from 1999 till his death in 2013
• He was the leader of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela
• He was responsible for the promotion of the Bolivarian cause of social revolution and started the secretive Revolutionary Bolivarian Movement-200 (MBR-200) in early 1980s
• He served the Venezuelan army as a officer before entering into politics and initiation the secretive Revolutionary Bolivarian Movement-200 (MBR-200)
• He was a former leader of the Fifth Republic Movement political party from its foundation in 1997 until 2007
• He led a coup attempt in 1992 and landed in jail for his act and was further he launched his political career
• Served as the President of Venezuela for three times
A coup attempt was made in Venezuela in April 2002 to overthrow Hugo Chavez from his office. During this coup attempt, Hugo was ousted from his office for 47 hours and further the situation was restored by the support of public that was seeking his government and the military loyalists.

Nicolas Maduro sworn in as the Interim President of Venezuela

Venezuelan Vice- President Nicolas Maduro on 8 March 2013 was sworn in as Venezuela’s acting president, despite the Opposition resistance as it is being considered to the violation of the country’s constitution.

Late President Hugo Chavez who died on 5 March 2013 after two year long fight against cancer named Maduro as his successor before undergoing the latest surgery in December 2012. He picked Nicolas Maduro  as the presidential candidate of Chavez’s socialist party.

As per the country's 1999 constitution, the National Assembly speaker becomes interim president in the event of a president-elect's death or inability to be sworn in. The constitution also says new elections should be called within 30 days.

Leader of opposition Angel Medina boycotted the swearing-in ceremony, with the vast majority of opposition legislators who haven’t attended the ceremony.

The earlier interim president of Venezuela was Ramón José Velásquez who served as acting president of Venezuela between 1993 and 1994 as a result of the crisis produced by the impeachment of president Carlos Andrés Pérez.

Arun Jaitley, Karan Singh and Sharad Yadav Selected For Outstanding Parliamentarian Award

The Parliamentary Award Committee selected BJP leader Arun Jaitley, Congress MP Karan Singh and JD(U) MP Sharad Yadav for Outstanding Parliamentarian Award for 2010, 2011 and 2012 respectively.

Arun Jaitley and Karan Singh are the members of Rajya Sabha from Gujarat and Delhi respectively. Sharad Yadav, on the other hand is a member of Lok Sabha from Madhepura, Bihar.

The Award Committee which was headed by the Speaker of Lok Sabha, Meira Kumar, recommended these names, which were accepted by executive committee of the Indian Parliamentary Group on 6 March 2013.

Outstanding Parliamentarian Award

• Outstanding Parliamentarian Award was instituted by the Indian Parliamentary Group in 1994.
• This award is conferred every year on the outstanding parliamentarian, who is recommended by award committee as well as approved by executive committee of the Indian Parliamentary Group.

President of India Released the Commemorative Postage Stamp on Sahir Ludhianvi

The President of India, Pranab Mukherjee on 8 March 2013 released the Commemorative Postage Stamp on Sahir Ludhianvi on occasion of his birth anniversary at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.

Sahir Ludhianvi died on 25 October 1980 and was a renowned Urdu poet. He was known among the young for his poetry on beauty and love. Sahir Ludhianvi had converged Urdu poetry into the film songs as well. Also, he fought for recognition of lyric writers through the Film Writers Association.

International Women's Day 2013 Celebrated Across the World

International Women's Day is celebrated across the world on 8 March 2013. The theme for 2013 International Women's Day is- A promise is a promise: Time for action to end violence against women.

On this day, the President of India, Pranab Mukherjee laid emphasis on the monumental role of women in designing the country.

Neiphiu Rio sworn-in as the Chief Minister of Nagaland

Neiphiu Rio 63, of Naga People’s Front (NPF) party was sworn in as Chief Minister of Nagaland for the third straight term on 5 March 2013 along with 11 ministers by the Governor Nikhil Kumar at the Raj Bhavan in Kohima.

The other eleven ministers who had taken oath for the office were from his own party, the Naga People’s Front (NPF), which had won 38 seats in the 60-member house.

Mukul Manda Sangma Sworn-In As the Chief Minister of Meghalaya

Mukul Manda Sangma of Congress was sworn-in as the Chief Minister of Meghalaya for the second term on 5 March 2013. He took oath for the second term as 26th Chief Minister of the state.

The Governor, R.S. Mooshahary administered him the oath of office and secrecy at the Raj Bhavan premises in Shillong. 47-year old Mukul Sangma led the Congress with 29 seats, merely two seats short of the majority in a house of 60. He was sworn-in without the Council of Ministers.

Announcement of the list of Council of Ministers will be made by Mukul Manda Sangma in the second week of March 2013.

BlackBerry’s India Managing Director Sunil Dutt resigned

Blackberry India Managing Director Sunil Dutt, who joined the company in December 2011, quit from the company in the month of March 2013 within a month after leading the launch of BlackBerry 10 OS and the Z10 in India.

BlackBerry India spokesperson confirmed the news of his resignation from the position as Managing Director of BlackBerry India with an immediate effect.In the interim, Rick Costanzo, Executive Vice President for Global Sales, will take over the leadership of the talented management team in India .

BlackBerry sees India as a major market for its products and is already facing diminishing market shares to bear the shake coming their way. BlackBerry is also dealing with the Indian Government’s pressure on providing it the access to the unique PINs of all BlackBerry devices across the world for security reasons. Additionally, the Government has reportedly proposed to take over the monitoring of BlackBerry servers in Mumbai and has threatened BlackBerry to ban its services if it fails to provide the government the access to its data by 31 March 2013.

President of India Conferred With the Liberation War Honour Award by Bangladesh

The President of India, Pranab Mukherjee was on 4 March 2013 conferred with the Liberation War Honour Award by the President of Bangladesh, Zillur Rahman. The award was conferred upon him for his contribution to 1971 war.

The award was given away to Pranab Mukherjee for contributions to the Liberation War. Earlier, the top most honour of Bangladesh, the Bangladesh Freedom Honour was conferred upon former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi posthumously in 2011 for contributing towards creation of Bangladesh.

Liberation War Honour Awards is the second highest honour of Bangladesh.

Microsoft Launched New Version of Office 365 for Businesses in India
                                                                                                                                               
Microsoft, the Software giant launched new version of Office 365 for the businesses running in India, on 4 March 2013. Office 365 will facilitate sharing the data seamlessly across the computers and mobiles with the help of cloud computing technology.

Because the solutions offered are cloud-based, therefore the users can also get accessibility to the files and mails through various devices such as mobiles, laptops and desktops. Cloud computing is the technology that helps in sharing the technological resources, digital information as well as software. Because the cloud-computing is Internet-based, therefore the solutions and data are accessible from anywhere with the help of a browser.

With a group of solutions, the companies can make use of the Office 365 for 330-1200 Rupees per month, per user. It is possible to install Office 365 on up to 5 different devices for one user under the licensing of Office 365. This group of solutions includes PowerPoint, Word, Outlook, Excel, Access and OneNote.

Features of Microsoft Office 365

• The service is social just like SharePoint. It can integrate with Lunc and Yammer for providing a social platform which brings together teams and people for collaborating and sharing the organisational knowledge as well as information.
• Flawless capability of the group of solutions across various devices such as PCs, mobiles and tablets makes the value of Office 365 more compelling.

Launch of Office 365 is the part of comprehensive cloud services strategy of Microsoft. Some of the enterprises that are making use of Office 365 include Tata Elxsi, Adhunik Group, Dabur India, FICCI, AEGON Religare, Tata Communications, Godrej and many more.

John Kerry Sworn-In As the 68th Secretary of State of the United States

John Kerry was sworn-in as the 68th Secretary of State of the United States on 1 February 2013. With the consent of the Senate, John Kerry was appointed as the Chief Foreign Affairs Adviser of the President. John Kerry succeeded Hillary Rodham Clinton.
The Secretary of State has the role of carrying out the foreign policies of the President through the State Department that encompasses Civil Service, Foreign Service and U.S. Agency for International Development.
Under the Article II of US Constitution, the President has an authority to nominate any candidate for the Cabinet posts. The Senate thereafter, accepts or rejects the candidate. John Kerry was appointed with the consent of the Senate.

Other important current affairs in a nutshell…..
* India’s Deborah won a Bronze medal in the final of women's juniors of 500m cycle event in Asian Cycling Championship on 7 March 2013 in New Delhi.
* Pranab Mukherjee and the Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina on 5 March 2013 inaugurated the locomotives and tank wagons supplied to Bangladesh.
* Bharti Airtel in the month of March 2013 launched high quality voice service for its subscribers in Kenya, Rwanda, Malawi and Nigeria in the African sub-continent.
* Mukesh Ambani retained his title as the richest person of India for the sixth consecutive year with the net worth of 21.5 million US Dollars.
* US State Department Awarded Women of Courage Award to Delhi Gangrape Victim
* Charges of attempt to commit suicide was framed against Irom Sharmila by the Patiala House Court on 4 March 2013 under IPC 309.
* Rafael Nadal defeated top seed and defending champion David Ferrer 6-0, 6-2 on 2 March 2013 in the final match of the ATP Mexican Open 2013 tennis tournament.
* Rajeev Shahare was appointed as the new High Commissioner to Maldives on 28 February 2013, replacing D M Mulay.

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Sunday, March 10, 2013

GK Quiz

GK Quiz
  1. The Oscar award winning film 'Life of Pie' is based on a fantasy adventue.

  2. Mo Yan
    Yann Martel
    Vikas Swaroop
    Herta Müller

  3. Who is the chairman of the Planning Commisssion?

  4. President
    Prime Minister
    An elected person
    Finance Minister

  5. Name the highest civilian Award of India?

  6. Param Vir Chakra
    Padma Vibhushan
    Dronacharya award
    Bharat Ratna

  7. King of Chemicals?

  8. Nitric Acid
    Carbonic Acid
    Sulfuric Acid
    Hydro Chloric Acid

  9. World Diabetic Day is on?

  10. November 17
    July 11
    December 01
    November 14

  11. Who won the Australian Open women's singles championship held in January 2013?

  12. Victoria Azarenka
    Serena Williams
    Maria Sharapova
    Samantha Stosur

  13. The Slogan'Inquilab Zindabad' was first used by?

  14. Ajay Ghosh
    Subash Chandra Bose
    Bhagat Singh
    V.I. Lenin

  15. The first satellite launched by India was Aryabhatta. In which year it was launched?

  16. 1963
    1970
    1975
    1979

  17. Name the capital of Switzerland?

  18. Berlin
    Berne
    Baku
    Bonn

  19. The instrument that is used to covert AC to DC?

  20. Rectifier
    Dynamo
    Oscillator
    Inverter

Answers
1.      (b) Yann Martel
2.      (b) Prime Minister
3.      (d) Bharat Ratna
4.      (c) Sulfuric Acid
5.      (d) November 14
6.      (a) Victoria Azarenka
7.      (c) Bhagat Singh
8.      (c) 1975
9.      (b) Berne
10. (a) Rectifier
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Friday, March 8, 2013

Disclaimer

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Sunday, March 3, 2013

LIC - Recruitment of Assistant Administrative Officers 2013

LIC - Recruitment of Assistant Administrative Officers 2013

Career with LIC - “Recruitment of Assistant Administrative Officers 2013 - Online Registration of Application will be from 05/03/2013”


For more details, CLICK HERE!- 

Latest Current Affairs: February 2013 (Last Week)

Current Affairs: February 2013 (Last Week)

Useful for all competitive Examinations……..

ISRO's PSLV-C20 Rocket Successfully Launched SARAL and Six Other Satellites

Six foreign micro and mini spacecrafts as well as the Indo-French oceanographic study satellite, SARAL (Satellite for Argos-3 and Altika) were launched successfully by ISRO's PSLV-C20 rocket on 25 February 2013 from the spaceport at Sriharikota.

The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) of Indian Space Research Organization’s (ISRO) flew from first launch pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre and was successfully put into the orbit. The President of India, Pranab Mukherjee witnessed this launch from mission control centre at Sriharikota.

Satellites launched by PSLV-C20 rocket

• 410-kg SARAL with payloads - Argos and Altika
• Two micro-satellites UniBRITE and BRITE from Austria
• AAUSAT3 from Denmark
• STRaND from United Kingdom
• Micro-satellite (NEOSSat)
• Mini-satellite (SAPPHIRE) from Canada

These seven satellites were launched successfully by PSLV which depicted its versatility and recorded 22nd successful flight consecutive. ISRO also has plans to launch the Geo-Synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle that has indigenous cryogenic engine, along with the India’s mission to Mars, both of which are scheduled for 2013.

SARAL, the unique satellite

• SARAL is said to be a very unique satellite which serves the research community.
• This satellite will assist the researchers in oceanographic studies.
• SARAL will study the sea surface heights and ocean currents.
• ARGOS-2 will help in collecting the data, while Altikameter will be responsible for measuring the height of sea surface.
• SARAL will also assist researchers in studying about the climatic developments.
• Its practical applications include study of migration of the marine animals, continental ice studies, protection of biodiversity and coastal erosion.

Railway Budget 2013-14: 67 New Express Trains Announced

Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal on 27 February 2013 proposed the introduction of 67 new express trains and 26 new passenger trains. He also asserted the introduction of 22 new lines in 2013-14.

Highlights of the new Trains announced

• 67 new Express trains to be introduced.
• 26 new passenger services, 8 DEMU (Diesel Electric Multiple Unit) services and 5 MEMU services to be introduced.
• Run of 57 trains to be extended.
• Frequency of 24 trains to be increased.
Metropolitan Projects/Sub-urban Services
• Introduction of first AC EMU rake on Mumbai suburban network in2013-14.
• Introduction of 72 additional services in Mumbai and 18 in Kolkata.
• Rake length increased from 9 cars to 12 cars for 80 services in Kolkata  and 30 services in Chennai.

State wise break up of new Trains announced
• Karnataka gets 3 new lines, 8 express trains
• Goa gets 3 New Express trains
• Andhra Pradesh got 8 New Trains
• 13 New Trains for UP, 7 out of which went to Lucknow Only

Region Wise Break up of New Train Announced
• Eight new express trains, 11 originating trains and eight pass-through trains, six extension trains apart from 20 new lines and doubling projects fell in South Central Rail-way’s kitty in the Railway Budget announced.
• As per the budget, Central Railway (CR) and Western Railway (WR) will get a total of 17 new mail/express trains, of which 14 trains will serve either the city or state passengers.
• Further, 72 additional services of local trains, augmentation of AC local trains at WR, have also been announced.

Joint Parliamentary Committee formed to Probe into the VVIP Helicopter

The Government of India on 27 February 2013 announced constitution of Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to probe into the allegations in the VVIP helicopter deal from Agusta Westland and to identify the role of the middlemen in the purchase of the 12 helicopters.

The motion was moved by the Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath. The proposed JPC will constitute of 20 members from Lok Sabha and 10 from Rajya Sabha and submit the report of its findings within three months from the day of its constitution. The motion was adopted in the Rajya Sabha by Voice Vote.

World Number one Novak Djokovic won the ATP Dubai Open Tennis title 2013

World Number one Novak Djokovic on 2 March 2013 won the ATP Dubai Open Tennis title 2013. He defeated third seed Czech Republic’s Tomas Berdych 7-5, 6-3 in the finals in Dubai.
India’s Mahesh Bhupathi and his French partner Michael Lloldra bagged the doubles crown defeating Serbian-Swedish duo of Nenad Zimonjic and Robert Lindstedt 7-6, 7-6 in straight sets.

Changes in Civil Services Exam Patterns Approved; General Studies to Have More Weight

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh approved the changes in the exam patterns of Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examination. According to the new changes, more weightage will be given to the General Studies paper.

The decision was based on the recommendations of the committee which was constituted by the UPSC. The committee presented the report under Chairmanship of former chairman of UGC and was also examined by Department of Personnel and Training. It was later sent to the Prime Minister for seeking final approval.

As of now, the Main paper of civil services has General Studies Paper I and II which carry 300 marks each and includes compulsory as well as optional subjects. But after implementation of these changes, both these General Studies Papers will bear more weightage.

Civil Service examination is conducted by UPSC for selecting the candidates for three main All India Services which include Indian Foreign Service, Indian Police Service and Indian Administrative Service.

National Science Day 2013 was Celebrated Countrywide

28 February 2013: National Science Day
National Science Day was observed on 28 February 2013. The theme of 2013 was Genetically Modified Crops and Food Security. The day is observed on the 28th of February every year to popularise science and its applications among school and college students. National Science Day is observed in honour of Nobel laureate and physicist CV Raman’s discovery of the Raman Effect, which he announced on this day in 1928.

Various activities like debates, quiz competitions, exhibitions and lectures were organised to mark the occasion.

Anupam Kher Awarded With City Proclamation Award in Los Angeles

Anupam Kher, the veteran Bollywood actor was awarded with the City Proclamation Award in Los Angeles in the last week of February 2013.

It is important to note that Anupam Kher was also nominated for Oscars 2013 for the Hollywood movie- Silver Lining Playbook. He has also acted in the Hollywood movies like Bend it Like Beckham, Bride and Prejudice, The Mistress of Spices, American Blade, Hope and a Little Sugar, Midnight Children as well as in the television series.

First Smartphone into Space Launched Successfully From India


The Surrey Space Centre (SSC) of the University of Surrey on 26 February 2013 announced that STRaND-1, a nano-satellite carrying a smartphone was launched successfully into space from India. With this launch, India became the first country to successfully launch the first smartphone of the world.

Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Bill approved by Rajya Sabha

Rajya Sabha on 25 February 2013 approved the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Bill. The bill seeks protection for women in all type of organised, unorganized as well as Private Sectors, including the sexual harassment of domestic help as well as agricultural workers.

Park Geun-Hye Sworn-In As the First Woman President of South Korea

Park Geun-hye sworn-in as the first woman President of South Korea on 25 February 2013. After swearing-in, she vowed for zero tolerance against nuclearised North Korea as well as economic prosperity of the country.

Park Geun-hye took charge of the office of the President of South Korea just a little over 50 years after Park Chung-hee, her father had taken over the office in 1961.

Life of Pi Bagged Maximum Awards at Oscars 2013 (85th Academy Awards)

The Oscars 2013 or the 85th Academy Awards ceremony took place on 24 February 2013. The annual Academy Awards were presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in order to honour the best films of the previous years, i.e., 2012. The Oscars 2013 ceremony was held at Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California. The awards were hosted by Seth MacFarlane. This is said to be the most viewed ceremony since Academy Awards 2004.

The main winners of the Oscars 2013 were Life of Pi, with four awards; Argo with three awards; Les Miserables with three awards and Django Unchained, Lincoln, Skyfall with two awards each. The list of the awardees of 85th Academy Awards is as follows:

List of the awardees of 85th Academy Awards: Click Here

Other important current affairs in a nutshell…..
* The Union Finance Minister announced new tax proposals while tabling the Union Budget 2013-14 in the Lok Sabha on 28 February 2013.
* The Vice President of India released a book titled Walking with Lions: Tales from a Diplomatic Past, written by K. Natwar Singh on 1 March 2013.
* Facebook Inc on 28 February 2013 announced that it agreed to buy advertising technology called Atlas Advertiser Suite, from the Microsoft Corp.
* Vice Admiral, Anurag G Thapliyal took over as the Director General of the Indian Coast Guard on 28 February 2013.
* The National Capital of India, Delhi emerged as worst place in terms of key parameters of environment in the Environmental Performance Index (EPI).
* Mozilla, the software community which is known for producing the Firefox web browser, launched Web-based Smartphone operating system on 24 February 2013....
* Arun Tadanki, the managing director for Yahoo India and South East Asia quit Yahoo on 25 February 2013. He became the Managing Director of Yahoo in May 2009.


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Highlights of Rail Budget 2013-2014

Highlights of Rail Budget 2013-2014


Railway Minister PK Bansal on 26 February 2013 proposed the introduction of improved and safer facilities while delivering the Railway Budget for 2013-2014. Bansal underlined the need for the Indian Railways to remain financially sustainable, especially at times when resources are scarce and losses on train operations continue to mount.
Despite a hike in fuel prices, Bansal did not announce a hike in passenger fares, the cost of which will be to the tune of Rs 850 crore. However, he did propose to hike the reservation fee for superfast trains and the tatkal charges.
Bansal called for a paradigm shift on tariff and freight policy and the faster expansion of the rail network. Furthermore, Bansal stated that resource constraints cannot be used as an excuse for poor service and committed to bring about a market change in amenities.
Here is a look at other provisions introduced by the Rail Minister in the Budget.

FY14 Budget
Rail land development authority allocation Rs 1,000 crore
FY13 railway losses seen at Rs 24,600 crore Vs Rs 22,500 crore year ago
12th Plan
12th Plan gross budgetary support Rs 194,000 crore
12th Plan rail market borrowing pegged at Rs 120,000 crore
General
Share from central road fund Rs 1,100 crore Vs Rs 5,000 crore needed
Number of trains up from 8,897 in 2001-2002 to 12,335 in 2011-2012
Raising Rs 95,000 crore for the next 4 years
Arunachal Pradesh brought under RAIL network
Safety & Modernisation
To make 10-year corporate plan for rail safety
Plan to introduce corporate safety plan for 10 years from 2014
Train protection warning system to be implemented
To work towards zero-accident situation
Freight
1,500 km to be awarded for dedicated freight corridor FY14
FY14 freight loading estimated 1,007 million tonne
To enter 1 billion tonne freight carrying club
Infrastructure
Seek states co-operation to increase public-private partnership
Target of Rs 1 lakh crore set aside for participation via PPP
New routes & Trains
Working on new railway line in Manipur
Facilities
To put in place next generation e-ticketing system by Dec 2013
New system to enable booking 7,200 tickets/min Vs 2,000 now
SMS alerts for reservation status being rolled out
Plan free Wi-Fi facility onboard trains
To extend internet booking timing from 00:30 IST to 23:30 IST
Look forward to use Aadhar services for Railways
To introduce 1 luxury 'Anubhuti' coach in express trains
To identify 60 more railway stations as model stations
To set up 8-10 more mechanised laundries for rail linen
To set up 8 women railway police units in addition to the existing 4
For more highlights and the speech document, click on the below attachments.



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Oscars 2013: Winners List from the Academy Awards

Oscars 2013: Winners List from the Academy Awards

Who came out on top during Hollywood's biggest night?

The Academy Awards, now officially known as The Oscars, are a set of awards given annually for excellence of cinematic achievements. The Oscar statuette is officially named the Academy Award of Merit and is one of nine types of Academy Awards. Organized and overseen by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS),  the awards are given each year at a formal ceremony. The AMPAS was originally conceived by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studio executive Louis B. Mayer as a professional honorary organization to help improve the film industry’s image and help mediate labor disputes. The awards themselves were later initiated by the Academy as awards "of merit for distinctive achievement" in the industry.
The awards were first given in 1929 at a ceremony created for the awards, at the Hotel Roosevelt in Hollywood. Over the years that the award has been given, the categories presented have changed; currently Oscars are given in more than a dozen categories, and include films of various types. As one of the most prominent award ceremonies in the world, the Academy Awards ceremony is televised live in more than 100 countries annually. It is also the oldest award ceremony in the media; its equivalents, the Grammy Awards (for music), the Emmy Awards (for television), and the Tony Awards (for theater), are modeled after the Academy Awards.
The 85th Academy Awards were held on Sunday, February 24, 2013, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California.

Here is the complete winners list for the 2013 Academy Awards:
Best Picture: Argo
Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln
Best Actress: Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained
Best Supporting Actress: Anne Hathaway, Les Misérables
Best Directing: Ang Lee, Life of Pi
Best Adapted Screenplay: Chris Terrio, Argo
Best Original Screenplay: Quentin Tarantino, Django Unchained
Best Documentary Feature: Searching for Sugar Man
Best Original Song: "Skyfall" from Skyfall, music and lyrics by Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth

Best Original Score: Life of Pi
Best Animated Feature: Brave
Best Cinematography: Life of Pi
Best Costume Design: Anna Karenina
Best Documentary Short Subject: Inocente
Best Film Editing: Argo
Best Foreign Language Film: Amour (Austria)
Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Les Misérables
Best Production Design: Lincoln
Best Short Film (Animated): Paperman
Best Short Film (Live Action): Curfew
Best Sound Editing: Skyfall (TIE), Zero Dark Thirty (TIE)
Best Sound Mixing: Les Misérables
Best Visual Effects: Life of Pi
Prepared by: currentaffairs4examz.blogspot.com

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